A USB connector for a USB connection is configured by: a connector socket which is to be mounted on a printed circuit board of a personal computer or the like; and a connector plug which is to be attached to an end of a connection cable of a peripheral device, and the front end (tip end) of the connector plug is inserted into the connector socket, thereby connecting the personal computer to the device.
The connector socket has: a rectangular tubular shield case which is formed by punching and bending a metal sheet; and a planar insulator which is attached into the shield case. Four contact housing grooves are laterally arranged in the lower surface of the insulator. Cantilevered movable contacts are attached to the contact housing grooves while directing their tip ends toward the front side, respectively, so that four movable contacts are laterally arranged on the insulator. Each of the movable contacts is configured by a thin terminal (plate spring) which is formed by punching and bending a metal sheet, and a downward-directed mountain-like contact portion in which the upper face is concave and the lower face is convex is bendingly formed in the tip end side. The contact portion is projected from the lower surface of the insulator.
The connector plug has: a rectangular tubular shield case which is formed by punching and bending a metal sheet; and a planar insulator which is attached into the shield case. Four stationary contacts are laterally arranged in the upper surface of the insulator. Each of the stationary contacts is configured by a thin terminal which is formed by punching and bending a metal sheet. The upper surfaces of the contacts are exposed substantially flushly from the upper surface of the insulator.
When the connector plug is inserted into the connector socket, the shield case of the connector plug is fitted to the inside of the shield case of the connector socket, and the insulator of the connector plug is superimposed on the lower side of the insulator of the connector socket. In this case, the four stationary contacts disposed in the connector plug are contacted with the contact portions of the four movable contacts disposed in the connector socket while pressing up them, thereby making electrical connections.
In the movable contacts (the four movable contacts disposed in the connector socket) of the USB connector, a structure is employed where, when the connector plug is not inserted, tip end portions which are further extended from the contact portions are engaged with the insulator before the movable contacts are returned to their free positions (for example, see Patent Literature 1).